


Same-Sex Ice Skating

by ColorfulMadness (livingbard)



Series: Attack on (Winter) Olympics [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Comedy, Everyone's alive, Ice Skating, Levi and Eren doing awesome things, Levi swears like a lot, M/M, Modern AU, Reincarnation, Romance, Slight Smut, Winter Olympics AU, alternating pov, famous skaters mentioned, not-so-subtle references to the canon 'Titan' thing, olympic au, pairs skating, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-09 14:22:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1147019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livingbard/pseuds/ColorfulMadness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is a relatively unknown prodigy figure skater going out for his first-ever Olympics. His chosen event is pairs, and he's even more nervous than a normal nineteen-year-old would be. Eren's part of a controversial plot that will take the Olympic world by storm.</p><p>Levi is a famous professional skater. He's won silver at his past two Olympics, and this one will be his last chance for the coveted gold. When his old friend Hanji calls in a debt, Levi has no choice but to suck it up, throw on a leotard, and go out with a bang.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hanji's Announcement

Eren Jaeger “Bombasic” was a prodigy on the ice. He first learned to skate shortly after learning to walk, and was training under an internationally recognized coach by age six. His life revolved around the rink, around lifts and jumps and turns and technical footwork. He loved all types of skating, although his favorites were the pairs routines he got to do for a competition. By age fourteen, he had gained national recognition as a champion. By eighteen, he and his partner Mina were favorites for the winter Olympics that would be occurring in a year’s time.

  
Yes, Eren Jaeger’s life was perfectly fine. But on Sunday, March 18th, he received a grim reminder of his past. An older ice skater named Levi.

 

Levi and Eren were in the same program for a total of one year. They’d met after Eren had been in the program eight years and Levi had transferred from a clinic in Aspen to train specifically with Pixis. At the time, Levi was shooting for Olympic qualification and was famous in the skating world. He was Eren’s idol, the man he looked up to most in the world of skating.

 

Levi thought Eren was a pretentious brat and ignored him whenever possible. After all, he was aiming for the most prestigious award an athlete could earn and had zero time to play celebrity. It was also just not in his nature to be friendly, nice, or smile. In that one year, Eren had said no more than thirty words to Levi, and he’d never seen him smile.

  
Except once- when everyone else had gone home and the rink was deserted. Eren ran back in to find a scarf he’d left behind, and as he knelt behind the bench, he was surprised to hear the sound of skates on ice. He peeped his head over the bench, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.

 

Levi was gliding gracefully around the ring, eyes closed, a faint smile on his lips. The muscles in his legs tensed, and he flung himself up into a double axle, landing on one skate like it was the most natural thing in the world. Eren lost track of time, watching Levi skate like there wasn’t a care in the world. Unlike practice, he seemed genuinely at ease and relaxed. It was the way he danced his routines, on the tv, his eyes closed, his feet and his body knowing exactly how to move and react.

 

The magic ended the second Eren, unconsciously leaning forward, fell into and knocked over the bench with a loud, echoing crash.

 

Equally loud were the sound of Levi’s skates screeching to a halt on the ice. Eren froze, before clearing his throat and picking up the bench.

 

Levi had exited the ring and removed his blades, and was staring directly past Eren’s head.

 

“I’m sorry to disturb you.” Eren stammered, face flushed. “I just, forgot my scarf?” He held up the offending red article of clothing. Levi said nothing and did not acknowledge his existence. “You, you looked really good on the ice!” Eren blurted. Levi paused, and turned to face him, eyes impassive. “I mean, it just looked so natural, and you looked like you were having fun. Sometimes I wish I could skate like that again.”

 

The corner of Levi’s mouth twitched, and he actually smiled at Eren, who froze again.

 

“I always have fun when I skate.” It was the longest sentence he’d ever uttered in Eren’s presence in five months of practices. “If I didn’t, what would be the point?” With that, he turned and walked out of the rink, and Eren was left with a pounding heart and a hero worship destined to crash like the Titanic.

 

But at the time, nearly five years ago, Eren would have given anything to skate with Levi just _once_.

 

Five years and many competitions later, he’d finally get his chance.

 

He just never imagined it’d become so famous.

 

That Sunday, he went to the rink as per usual. He stretched, then glided out onto the ice to wait for Hanji and Mina to show up, lazily skating around the rink. Eren was always early, and the other two teased him for his complete, wholehearted dedication and determination. He closed his eyes and listened to the soft _swish_ of the skates, losing himself in the one thing he loved more than anything.

 

He nearly fell on his face when he heard the voice of another male.

 

“Shitty glasses, you can’t be serious.” Eren remembered that slightly pissed voice. The dead-pan expression, the glaring eyes, the French-looking bowl cut. It couldn’t be. What was Levi doing here? He spun around on his skates, his eyes focusing on three people. One was Mina, biting her lip and looking unsure. One was Levi, as Eren had expected, looking blank and annoyed. And there was his coach, Hanji, beaming from ear to ear.

 

“Levi, don’t be so rude!” Eren could almost hear the sunshine dancing in her voice. “This is a GREAT idea! Mina thinks so, don’t you?”

 

The girl nodded sheepishly, tugging at the hem of her shirt. Eren frowned, and slid over to the trio. “Um, Hanji? What’s going on?”

 

Hanji turned as if she’d just noticed him, glasses flashing and smile widening, if it was possible. “EREN!” She cried, flinging her arms around his neck. Eren flailed, trying to support his mentor and coach without falling on his ass.

“C-coach!” He responded, trying to pry her off of him. “Why are you acting so weird?”

 

“Because!” Hanji pulled back and smiled triumphantly.

  
“You and Levi are going to do the pairs competition in the Winter Olympics!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> So I've had the idea of the SNK team as a Winter Olympic team for a while (since watching the American short-track speed skating time trials) and I've decided to start with pairs skating. I know next to nothing about figure skating from a performing stand point, but I've watched the sport for years and I hope I can at least do it justice. 
> 
> I am aware that ISU regulations state that pairs must be "one lady and one man" but.... well, change has to happen sometime, right? :)
> 
> Thank you for reading to the end! I'm planning on this to have between 5-10 chapters. I hope you've all enjoyed it! This has not been beta-d, so if you see a mistake (or would like to beta for me) please let me know and I'll fix it (or cry you a river of gratitude).


	2. Lobsters, Ants, and Armin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji explains The Plan to Eren, Eren explains The Plan to Armin and Mikasa. But why is he going along with it, again? And what do lobsters have to do with anything?

 

* * *

 

_This is it. The moment I’ve been training for my entire life. The performance of a lifetime. The Olympics._

_I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly feeling dry. The lights in the arena seemed harsher than what I was used to, although I know that’s just the nerves. I noticed Mina jiggling back and forth, from one foot to another. I put my hand on her arm._

_“Hey, calm down. You’re gonna do great.” I smiled at her, and she gave an answering grin._

_“I know I will. I’m worried about you!” I knew she was teasing, but the comment still made my stomach churn. She must have caught the look on my face, because she quickly amended herself. “I’m kidding, Eren. Please don’t be so nervous! We’ve done this routine, like, eight hundred times?”_

_“I think it was closer to a thousand.” We both laugh at that, and hug once before gliding out onto the ice._

_The next several minutes were a blur to me. I skated. She skated. And somehow we made it through, and the roar of the crowd was in my ear and Mina was hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and pumped my fist into the air as we slipped off the ice, into a press of bodies….that morphed into one body….and Mina was gone, and the crowd was gone, and the arena had turned into a giant wall._

_The giant mass of flesh formed and lifted me in its weird hand, up to its face, its mouth open wide…_

 

 

“Ah!”  Eren gasped, his eyes flying open and his heart racing. He swallowed hard and took deep breaths. The Olympics weren’t for another year. He had all the time in the world to prepare. Mina was fine. He was fine. They’d both do great.

 

At the prelims. And the short skate. They’d be absolutely fine. Even the free skate.

 

But the exhibition. Now the exhibition he was sure would kill him.

 

It had all started on Sunday.

 

* * *

 

 

“You and Levi are going to do pairs competition in the Olympics!” Hanji had beamed and grabbed his hand. “Isn’t that AWESOME?!”

 

Eren heard the capital letters fall into place, as, unable to move, he stared. First at the coach, obviously overjoyed, then to Mina, who looked….excited? Nervous? He couldn’t tell. He tried to avoid looking at the last person, but his eyes slowly drifted to the man he’d watched throughout his entire career. His idol glared back at him.

  
“….H-hanji, you’re not serious, right?” He laughed nervously. “T…this is just a joke, right? Hahaha, funny, can we get to practice now?” He knew from the look on their faces, especially Levi’s, that it was no joke, and his heart sank further.

 

Eren hadn’t had much of a family, aside from his foster-sister Mikasa, since he was young. His mother had been murdered, and his father mysteriously vanished. He and Mikasa had both moved in with their coach, Hanji. Mikasa specialized in solo skating, her best event was the female free form. They’d lived there until they were old enough to get their own place they shared together and with their friend Armin, a skier shooting for the upcoming Olympics himself.

 

But right now he really wished his mother could be still around, or his father, for that matter, someone else to back him up and insist that this was, in fact, crazy. He even wished Mikasa would show up already. She’d gone to “check out her competition”, mainly some blonde chick from a different district. Now Eren knew why Hanji told him today’s practice would just be for him and his partner.

 

He regretted believing her instantly.

 

“Eren, I’m actually quite serious.” Hanji adjusted her glasses and her face grew slightly more serious. “I want you and Levi to skate a routine in the Winter Olympics together.”

 

“But…why?” Eren managed to get out, alternating between unbelieving denial and cursing Hanji quite impressively in his head. Eren could curse fluently in about seven languages thanks to international competitions, and he knew specific words in four others.

 

“It’s simple, really.” She sat down on a nearby bench, motioning for Levi and Mina to do the same as Eren slipped his hard guards over his blades and ducked out of the rink. “This sport is old. The oldest one in the Winter Olympics. As it is old, it is prestigious. It is well established, traditional, and the athleticism behind skating is regarded highly. That is the positive side. However.” Hanji sucked in a breath and sighed. “It is old fashioned and arrogant. The rules have been the rules for so long that they will remain the same unless someone challenges them. To put it simply, I want to challenge the rules and give same-sex skating couples an opportunity to go for the Olympics themselves and be recognized for the talented athletes they are. It’s time that the elites realize that there is equal merit and talent in two people of the same gender preforming skate routines as that of an opposite sex team. Two men together can to unbelievable things, as can two women. It’s not fair for the Olympics to exclude these couples and their unique routines.”

 

“But…I thought there were…the Gay Games?” Even as Eren said it he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Hanji’s glasses flashed again.

 

“Those games brought great progress. I intend to progress it further. We need something drastic and dramatic to happen, Eren, so an entire population of skaters can be recognized for their hard work and dedication!”

 

Eren stared at her. He wasn’t homophobic, and he’d had a crush on a guy or two, but he was still unsure of how this was going to do anything more than get him and Levi blacklisted from any skating event ever.

 

“Oy, brat.” Eren’s focus immediately shifted to Levi, his head turning so fast his hair slapped him in the eyes. “Don’t listen to that shitty glasses. The only reason we’re doing this is to shake things up. There’s no social justice movement in it. Do you want to be remembered?”

 

Eren stared at him, a puzzled look on his face. Levi sighed. “This is my last Olympics, kid. I owe this shitty person a favor. So this is that favor. You can spew on and on about equality,” He looked at Hanji, “But honestly you just want to see how far you can push before the world pushs back.”

 

Hanji blinked and stared at him for a moment before throwing her head back and laughing. “Right as always, Heichou!”  
  
“Don’t call me that.”

  
“Hei…chou?” Mina asked cautiously. It was the first time she’d spoken. Levi shot her a look that could peel paint, and she clammed up immediately.

 

“A shitty name the shitty glasses gave me.” Levi dead-panned before looking back at Eren. This time, Eren couldn’t ignore the weird churning feeling in the pit of his stomach. _I’m screwed._ He thought, looking back at his coach.

 

“But what about Mina? And the preliminaries? For us to skate in the Olympics, we’d have to have a spot first, and they won’t let us through if we’re both men…” The look on Hanji’s face squashed the last tiny clinging bit of hope Eren had cherished in his

fragile heart.

 

“Mina’s agreed to skate with you the preliminaries, the short program, and the free program. Essentially, you need to be in the top 5 of one of those categories. On the last day, in the exhibition, you and Levi will go out instead of you and Mina. At that point, you will have been awarded medals and they can’t throw us out.” Hanji beamed. “So all you need to do, Eren, is learn the routines. You’ll be in the same position for all of them, the one who is lifting and throwing the partner. For most of them, Mina will accompany you. For the last, you will skate with Levi.” She smiled at him again. “So what do you say, Eren?”

 

Eren looked between the three, the beaming Hanji, nervously smiling Mina, and scowling Levi. He swallowed hard, and briefly wondered if he even had a choice. Slowly, he nodded his head. “Yes. I’ll do it.”

 

Those three words set off the craziest year of Eren Yeager’s life.

 

First, he and Mina had to worry about the preliminary routines. One each for short program and free program-so in total, he would learn five routines. They began immediately after agreeing, starting on the short program routine. That Eren wasn’t concerned about- he knew his part as well as he knew that his foster sister would likely cut his head off with her skate when she found out what he and Hanji were planning.

 

Not like he’d planned this, mind. And Hanji wouldn’t actually force him to do it. So…why was he going along with the plan, then…?

  
Eren sighed shortly after 5 p.m, wiping sweat off his brow with a towel.

 

“Go ahead and go home, Eren. I’m going to get Mina to show Levi some of the more interesting parts of your exhibition routine that we have for now.”

 

Levi shot her a Look and said nothing. Eren just nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He’d been done with school as of last Friday, and he was taking classes at a local college in the fall. Summer, however, would be spent on the rink. If he survived that long.

 

* * *

 

  
“I’m home!” Eren called out, walking into the small apartment he shared with Mikasa and Armin. He hoped no one would be home, and he sighed in relief as no voice answered his greeting. He shut the door behind him and removed his shoes before heading for the bathroom. After a day of training, Eren liked nothing more than to soak in some hot water and relax his muscles.

 

He slipped into the warm water and let his eyes drift close, the steam filling the small room as he propped his feet on one end of the tub and leaned back. It was so relaxing, the water, the steam, the lighting dimmed by the curtain…

 

_I am running down the hall, no, a road. My feet aren’t  moving, I’m being carried….who is this man? There’s Mikasa, and Armin, and the three of us are being hauled away by this man. The sky’s red…no, black…no, there are flames? What are these buildings? Half of them are torn down, I hear screams everywhere._

_I look around, and the grip on my waist tightens. “Don’t look back, Eren!” The man shouts at me. He’s running towards- no, away, from something. I struggle to turn around, and I see this hideous creature. It looks like a human, only it’s much taller and uglier. Like a Cyclops from the Greeks, only it has two eyes, two disgusting, yellow eyes that leave my flesh crawling. I want to throw up, it’s getting really hard to breathe. But the Cyclops-thing is holding something, no, someone, who’s struggling in its grasp…who is that?_

_I see black hair, a long skirt, and suddenly it clicks… “MO-“_

Eren woke up gasping and sputtering water. He’d sunk just a little too low, his mouth sinking under the surface. His heart pounded as he tried to grasp at the quickly disappearing images of his dream… there was a town out of a colonial book, and there was…a monster? No, it couldn’t be. Was Mikasa there? He thought Armin was, but now he wasn’t sure. Everything was fuzzy. He remembered something about his mother…..and two glowing eyes. Frustrated, Eren shook his head, splattering the wall with water droplets.

 

Water now cold, Eren eased himself out of the bath, wincing at the soreness of his thoroughly worked muscles. He glanced at his phone, and realized he’d been in the tub for two hours. Armin or Mikasa would definitely be back by now.

 

Drying off and pulling on a t-shirt and sweat pants, Eren exited the bathroom and headed towards the living room/kitchen, which emitted the hissing sounds and accompanying smells of cooking and the faint hum of television dialogue. He rolled his shoulders and walked into the living room.

 

“Smells great, Armin.” He glanced over at his blonde friend, hair tied back and apron thrown over track pants and athletic t-shirt.

 

“Thanks. Mikasa and I were beginning to think you’d drowned.” His friend commented, stretching before flipping the stir-fried meal in its pan.

 

“I fell asleep.” Eren admitted sheepishly. Mikasa glanced up over the back of the couch.

 

“Did you have a dream?” She asked quietly, meeting his gaze. Eren looked away. Right after the death of his mother, he’d started having these horrible nightmares he could never remember afterwards. He’d had to sleep in the same room, if not the same bed, as Mikasa for three years after because they’d been so bad. As they grew up, he pretended that he didn’t have them anymore. But somehow Mikasa knew it was a lie, and sometimes he’d still slip into her room and sleep on her floor, finding just enough comfort in her company to help him feel safe.

  
Eren settled for shrugging his shoulders. “If I did, I don’t remember anything.” The eyes flashed once again in his mind before he cleared the thought from his head. Mikasa looked as if she didn’t believe him, so Eren decided to change the subject.

 

“I kind of have some news. About the Olympics.

 

The air tensed, and immediately Mikasa muted the TV. Armin’s stir-fry sizzled quietly in the background. All three young athletes were entirely focused on the Olympics, Mikasa for solo skating and Armin for skiing. Just mentioning the word was enough to get the full and hungry attention of any of the three.

 

“What is it, Eren?” Armin asked slowly, his hand moving around noodles and veggies with tongs.

 

“Uh, Hanji wants, well, er…” Eren was regretting the decision to bring it up now. But he knew that if he was really going through with this, he needed Armin and Mikasa on his side, in his corner, backing him up all the way. They were more than best friends, they were family, and had been family since they’d become orphans in their own right. “I’mgonnaskatewithLeviintheexhibition.”

 

There was a pause. “….huh?” Armin looked confused. Mikasa, on the other hand, had caught the words ‘skate’ and Levi’ and ‘exhibition’, and the look on her face was murderous.

 

Eren swallowed hard. “I’m going to, um, skate with Levi in the exhibition. You know. At the Olympics.” By all means, there should have been a storm to conveniently mark the sentence with thunder, but against all odds it had been a sunny day and would continue to be clear as the sun set until it became a clear night. 

 

Armin stared. Mikasa fumed.

 

“That damn chibi.” She muttered, reaching for her phone.

 

“No! Mikasa, it wasn’t his fault.” Eren scrambled. Mikasa was originally from Japan, and sometimes she reverted to words and phrases in her native tongue. Usually this was not a good sign. “It was Hanji’s idea.”

  
Armin stared at him. “That’s not only against Olympic regulation, but the ISR, too.” He said slowly. Eren nodded.

 

“I know. But…I’m still going to do it.”

 

“Why?” Armin asked, trying to reserve judgment until he’d at least heard Eren out.  It was hard for him, but Armin had always been the most level-headed of the three of them. He was also scary smart, but Eren rarely worried about that because Armin tended to use his powers for good. Well, good in the way that Eren benefited from it.

 

“Hanji gave this long excuse about equal rights and all, but Levi seemed to think she just wanted to do it for the sake of seeing what would happen. You know. Just an experiment.” The three shuddered. They’d had a long history of Hanji’s ‘experiments’ and while many of them had been okay, even fun, there were a few that no one would ever speak of again.

 

“Remember the time she brought that lobster and we-”

 

“Armin-I-thought-we-agreed-to-never-speak-of-the-lobster-incident-again.” The words fired out of Mikasa’s mouth like bullets.  Obvious, deadly bullets. Armin shut up.

 

Eren shook his head. “It won’t be anything like that time with the pantyhose-“

  
“ _Eren-“_

“Sorry, sorry. No, I mean, I kind of…..get it. Why she wants to. The world is changing fast now, and big stunts get noticed….bold moves make people talk, and people talking creates change. It’s the perfect time for something like this to happen, and, well…. Levi and I are pretty good choices.”

 

“I can see that disgusting chibi as a choice for this… stunt, but I fail to see how you work into it.” Mikasa said stubbornly. She had the utmost respect for Levi as a skater, but would tell you that she found his personality left some major things to be desires and that he had the appeal and charisma of something found under a horse’s foot. Well, Mikasa would never actually say that, she’d say something much briefer with a few more asterisks.

 

Armin nodded his head slowly. “No, it does make sense. Eren’s a young, sensational break-out star. Everyone’s watching him, and many people idolize him. On the other hand, Levi’s been around for a while, he’s a familiar name in most households around the Olympic season, and he’s got the reputation and credibility to back up such a move. The two of them as a pair…it has the chance for popular appeal. People will notice, because they’re both somebodies. They’re both important. And kinda famous.” He shrugged, turning the stove burner off. “That’s just what I think. Hanji’s pretty smart to put this together.”

Eren nodded. “And she just likes to watch the world burn.”

 

“Yeah, like with those ants-“

 

“ARMIN!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone that's read this! I'm so excited to continue working on it. Expect updates from me roughly 1-2 times per week, maybe more or less depending on my school schedule and how into writing I get.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. It's a little more introduction, the fun(?) Ereri(?) is going to begin in the next chapter with their practices together! Think Dirty Dancing, only it's Eren, who's super awkward (and slightly starstruck) when not skating, and Levi, who rarely shows an emotion other than disgruntled annoyance or disgust. I will try to update by Sunday if not sooner. 
> 
> Also be on the lookout for the second work in this series. I've decided to sort of do them simultaneously.
> 
> Fourthly, this is still un-betaed. So my plea still stands, if you'd like to beta for me I'd drown you in love. 
> 
> Please leave comments, you love it, you hate it, ect. Suggestions and technicalities about the skating world are helpful, I'm not familiar with the behind-the-scenes aspects of skating apart from movies, but I am trying my best to represent it and also follow (most of) the rules and regulations. 
> 
> So this turned out to be a long note post. Kudos to you if you made it this far! Thanks for checking out my work!


	3. Levi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi's first practice. Also how Levi got roped into doing this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi's POV!

Eyes snapped open and stared blankly at a beige ceiling. Right.

  
“What the hell was that about?” 26-year-old Levi muttered, rubbing his eyes once before sitting up and stretching, wincing at the sore tug on his muscles. His dream already fading, he briefly remembered Erwin, something about a butterfly, and green eyes. He glanced at the clock and sighed. It was only three in the morning, and he was already done sleeping.

 

Levi had an unfortunate condition. He could never fall back asleep once he was awake. So on nights like tonight, where he woke up out of the blue after four hours or so, he found himself stuck in a world few people ever discovered. A world of bad tv re-runs and televangelists, hours before even the super early news anchors pepped with gallons of caffeinated coffee announced the weather for the working class. As a child he’d enjoyed having the house to himself for a few hours. As an adolescent he’d enjoyed it even more.

  
But now, as an adult, living on his own, he really loathed these early hours of the morning when every decent human being was still asleep. There was no mystery or freedom to be found at 3 a.m. There was just him.

 

Levi rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes out of habit. He wouldn’t sleep anymore, but he could at least pretend he might have a chance to. Five minutes later he was standing in his apartment’s tiny kitchen in a tank top and boxer shorts, making himself some tea. There was nothing else to do, after all. Training for the day didn’t start until nine.

  
Right, training. Today would be the first day he practiced with Eren, nearly two weeks after Hanji’s big ‘announcement’. The look on the kid’s face made Levi wish he’d been an Olympic-level athlete for some summer game, like gymnastics. He had the build for it, after all, and he could flip his body around with ease. But no, he had to be a figure skater, and now he had to suck it up and become a shocking sensation.

 

He had tried every day of his life to forget about that night, but it always ended up biting him in the ass. When he’d told Hanji that he owed her a favor, he’d expected it to be something stupid and slightly dangerous, like dying a crab’s claw or some shit like that. He’d never expected her to remember this long.

 

* * *

 

 

Levi’s life changed on May 1st. He was in Canada, preforming for some international skating event. His routine this year was called Riverdance, and the crowds simply loved it.

 

He struck his final pose amid tumultuous applause, and even managed a smile, his chest heaving. He’d exited the rink, sat down on a bench, and then caught the familiar glint off glasses.

 

“What’re you doing here?” Levi didn’t have to turn around to know she’d be there.

 

“Eh?! How’d you know I was here, Heichou!” Hanji laughed and slapped him on the back. “I’m doing research, of course! One of my girls performed here today, you know that!”

 

“Good for you. Now what do you want with me?” Levi believed in cutting to the chase immediately. He had better things to do than to dance with Hanji around the point.

“I saw your routine! It was flawless.” Hanji commented, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “Your best yet, I’d say. You’re a shoe-in for the Olympic team.”

 

Levi’s face remained passive, but something in him was becoming increasingly concerned.

 

“I’ve got a couple skaters who’ll likely be joining you. You remember Mikasa, and Mina and….. Eren.”

 

She dropped the name like it was a bomb, and Levi knew then he was completely and utterly shit out of luck.

 

“Now, I’m sure you remember that night, what was it, five, six years ago?” Innocent, Levi inwardly seethed, she sounded so damn innocent.

  
“Hanji.” He warned. “What are you getting at?” He glared straight ahead, refusing to look at her.

 

“As I recall, you owe me a favor. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you what for.”

 

She didn’t. He remembered it vividly enough, the dim lights, smoking air, those soft eyes…. Levi violently shook his head.

  
“What do you want, shitty glasses?” His voice held no tone.

 

“I want you to skate in the gala exhibition at the Olympics for me.”

 

“I’d be there anyway, you idiot.”

  
“Yes, but… I don’t want you skating alone.”

 

Levi felt his insides freeze. “You know I can’t do the lifts for pairs.”

 

“Yes. Which is why you won’t be lifting.”

 

“Spit it out.”

 

“I want you to dance pairs in the gala exhibition with Eren Jaeger.”

 

“…..” Levi turned to walk away.

 

“Do I need to remind you,” Hanji’s voice was calm. “What you said about Er-“

 

“No.” His answer was fast and flat. “You’re shitting me.”

 

“I’m actually quite serious, Levi. I want you to do the exhibition with Jaeger. After all, you’ll have already competed for medals. It’s the end of the competition and the scores don’t matter. All you do is show them what you’ve got. And what I’m going to show them is what two men can do together on the ice.”

 

“That sounds dirty.” He muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. He knew he had to do it- there was no way out. Hanji had him cornered and they both knew that way too well.

 

“Well? Are you going to do it?” Stupid question when they both knew the answer.

 

“When do you need me to show up.” Resigned, Levi didn’t bother protesting. He felt no need to ask why, he knew Hanji well enough to know her reasoning. The woman would set fire to her own skin if she thought it’d be interesting enough to examine afterwards. A social experiment like this was right up her alley.

 

“May 18th, you know where. Ne, Levi?” She trilled, turning to nearly skip away.

 

Levi glowered after her before picking up his bag and heading to his car. It was going to be a long ass year, and an even longer seventeen days.

 

* * *

 

 

So now, slightly after 3:30 a.m. on a Monday morning, Levi sat, drank his tea, and mulled over his circumstances. There wasn’t much else to do.

 

Three hours later, he was on the ice, waiting for Hanji to show up. He tried once more to blink away the bags under his eyes, and stifled a yawn as he glided around the rink, warming himself up to the feeling. He wouldn’t see Eren until tonight, around six, when he got off work.

 

 Levi typically taught ice skating lessons to children to supplement his living, today would be no different. He did class lessons a total of four hours a day and private lessons that lasted an hour each. Despite his prickly attitude and callous speech, Levi was remarkably good with small children. For one, he treated the children like they were adults, which all children enjoy. He also came up with inventive, last-minute alternatives to swears which the kids found enjoyable. Lastly, he loved ice-skating. Because he loved it, he taught his students to love it.

 

5:56 p.m.

 

Eren Yeager slipped onto the ice with him. Levi was hyper aware of his presence, but pretended to ignore him, choosing to continue gliding with his eyes closed.

 

For a few minutes the two of them skated alone, to the sounds of their blades against the ice and the industrial-sized generator powering the building. Both came to a halt when the door burst open, revealing Hanji.

 

“What are you two doing?” She asked breathlessly, hurrying over to the bench.

 

“Skating?” Eren stared at Hanji like she’d grown a second head. Even Levi did a double-take. 

 

In one arm, Hanji was carrying a spiral-bound book that was easily six inches thick. Stacked on top of it were a number of smaller notebooks, pencils, CD cases, even some old VCR tapes. The other hand was towing an old TV on a rolling cart, complete with VCR player.  She looked like a mad scientist, her glasses askew and her hair sticking up from the wind.

 

She plopped her armload down onto the bench. “Why are you skating? Do either of you realize how much work we have to do? Neither of you know the routine we’re doing!”

  
“I thought that Mina was showing Levi some parts of the routine we’d been working on?” Eren was so lost, Levi couldn’t help the way his lips twitched at the sight.

 

“Eren! Nothing you and Mina were working on would in any way ever compare to the show you and Levi are going to put on!” Hanji pumped her fist in the air.

  
“Calm down, shitty glasses.” Levi slid over to the edge of the rink next to Hanji. “It’s the exhibition, right? So we just do our best moves.”

 

“Right! No guidelines or limitations! It’s going to be spectacular!” Hanji cackled. “So get your boots on and get over here, both of you! I’ve put a lot of research into this.”

 

Levi booted his blade and sat next to Hanji, waiting for Eren to fumble his way to her other side. No matter how graceful and collected Eren was on skates, or even around his friends, there was something about Levi that made him clumsy and awkward. Every time he caught that piercing gaze, Eren simultaneously wanted to get lost in those eyes forever and crawl into a hole to die. He blamed it on hormones.

 

“Now, look at this.” She spent the next few hours showing them both the best moments in skating history- like they hadn’t seen them all before. She had recordings of great performances done by Gordeeva and Grinkov, Shen and Zhao, Sale and Pelletier, Anton and Elena, and numerous others.

  
“For now, I want you to go to the studio and practice this basic choreography on land. Get used to the feel of each other and the rhythm of your bodies, mmm?” She beamed at both of them, and Levi felt his heart sink.

  
He and Eren went to the studio in silence, stretching separately as Hanji set up her own things in the front.

 

“You both understand this first section?” They nodded. “Alright, I want you to do just the basic footwork here- one time, and then we’ll get into the lifts.” They nodded, and she began to count.

 

“One, two, one two three four-“

 

Levi’s foot slid back, Eren’s hands went up, and they began their first practice together. The first part wasn’t too difficult, they remained close together, but not too close. Eren’s hand came out, Levi’s hand met it, and it was over. They ran through the section about seven more times before Hanji signaled for them to stop.

  
Panting only slightly, Levi dropped Eren’s hand and glanced at Hanji, who nodded. “You both have that part down. Now I want to see you do a basic lift. Eren, just lift him by the waist, Levi, hold your arms out like you’re Rose on the Titanic.”

  
This was the part Levi had been dreading. He’d never been one for partners, and he had limited experience actually being lifted. He’d been practicing (he knew Erwin would never let him live it down) since Hanji had told her his plan, but he was still nervous.  He took a deep breath and mentally prepared to crash onto the mat they stood on for the very purpose of softening a fall.

 

“Don’t worry, I won’t drop you.” Eren said, biting his lip and focusing hard.

 

In a different situation Levi would have called the look on Eren’s face “cute”.

 

Instead he found it oddly…reassuring. “Three,” He heard Hanji say, “Two, one-“

 

Then Eren’s hands were on his waist and he was hoisted into the air, arms spread out as if he were indeed King of the World. They stood like that for no more than six seconds, but to Levi it felt like a lifetime before his feet touched the ground again.

 

“You’ve got good balance.” Hanji nodded, scribbling away at her notepad.

  
“Now I want to try a harder one. This is going to be a bastardized form of a star position.”

 

Eren’s face fell, and Levi nearly laughed. He didn’t, of course. But he felt like he might want to.

 

“Eren, kneel down.” Eren obeyed. “Levi, I want you to place your hands on his shoulders- here- and Eren, put your hands on his waist- here- Levi, lean over and extend your arms, yes, balance on them, Eren, support his waist, you know what you’re doing, never mind, Levi, lift up one of your legs, I know you can do splits, now reach back with that hand and grab your foot, yes, stay balanced, you still have a foot on the ground- now, Eren, stand up.”

 

Eren slowly stood, his hands on Levi’s waist. The result of Hanji’s coaching was Levi, horizontal over Eren’s head, one leg bent over his own shoulder, one hand holding his foot, one hand bracing himself on Eren’s shoulder. His other leg slowly left the ground, and on sheer instinct he pointed his toe down. They wobbled for a few seconds before Levi got his balance just right, and they stood.

 

Hanji beamed. “PERFECT! Now put him down before you drop him, your arms are shaking like noodles!”

 

Eren set Levi down and winced, rubbing his arms. _He’s a lot heavier than he looks_. He thought to himself, stretching back.

 

They went through a few more lifts, none as hard as the star, before Hanji announced they were done for the night.

 

Exhausted, Levi grabbed his flip-flops and his bag and headed for the door, stifling a yawn. Maybe he’d actually get some sleep tonight, he mused, heading for the door.

  
“Levi!” The sound of his name punctured his thoughts and he looked over his shoulder.

  
“Uh, Hanji wants you to look over this for tomorrow.” Eren stood there, holding out a DVD case like it was a weapon he didn’t know how to use.

 

Something in Levi’s chest stirred, a feeling he promptly squashed down and ignored. He took the case and shoved it in his back pocket before looking back at Eren, who for some reason was still standing there.

 

“Oi.” Eren’s head jerked up.

  
“Yeah?”

  
“Thanks for not dropping me.  Maybe you aren’t shit after all.” With that, Levi turned and walked away before Eren could see the slightly red tinge on his face.

 

It was a shame he had to miss the blush on Eren’s as well. 

 

* * *

That night, Levi dreamed of tanned skin, dark hair, and green eyes. The clock flipped its red numbers from 3:59 to 4:00.

 

Eyes snapped open and stared blankly at a beige ceiling. “Fuck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Shout-out to the awesome people that are showing this fic love! I appreciate all of the kudos, bookmarks, and comments! Please leave me more! I love to hear what you think and it's really great to see people are enjoying this work, especially because I love writing it. 
> 
> This chapter revolves around Levi's perspective. I'm going to switch between the two for the remainder of the fic, I hope it doesn't get too terribly confusing. 
> 
> Levi's "Riverdance" is totally Jason Brown's routine and he's going to Sochi and I'm so excited because I love that kid and I love that routine and he's just adorable and oh my god have you seen that guy's footwork?! It's absolutely insane! Ahhhh!
> 
> I also mentioned a few famous pairs skaters. You guys wouldn't believe the amount of reading I've done on pairs skating in the past week and how much of it I've watched. I don't know if I'm going to find a routine that will fully scream "EREN AND LEVI" to me, but I'm trying to find something to reference to give you an idea of what they'll be doing. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for your love and support. Once again this chapter's un-betad, you find a mistake, lemme know!


	4. Black Jacket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren realizes something's different about training with Levi.
> 
> Levi's paranoid.

Two weeks after their first day Eren was beginning to get the hang of practicing with Levi. They’d been in the studio the entire time, and his confidence in their ability to pull at least the performance off was growing each day. After the initial awkwardness, Eren found it fairly easy to support Levi in lifts, and Levi felt steady and balanced in his arms.   
  
It felt easy, and that scared the beejezus out of Eren. Skating had always come naturally to him, but being with a new partner never had. It had taken him nearly a year to get completely comfortable with Mina, whom he still had to practice with. He found himself comparing his partners as he ran through training sessions with each.

 

Both of them had athletic, muscular bodies.

Mina’s skin was softer.

Levi’s body was firmer.

Mina had a graceful ease about her.

Levi had passion in his movements.

Mina counted with the music, concentrating on each individual step.

Levi let the music flow through his veins in one continual motion.

Both of them held his shoulder.

Mina’s hands were small and delicate.

Levi’s hands were larger and firm.

They touched his face.

Mina’s skin was soft.

Levi’s was rough.

 

Eren found himself thinking these things at the oddest of times, and each time it happened he had to shake himself out of it. Mina would grasp his hand, and he’d think of Levi’s palm. His hand would rest on the curve of her side, and thoughts of a solid, masculine waist would slip through his mind.

 

He never noticed that he always thought of Levi when he was with Mina and he rarely thought of Mina when he was with Levi.

 

“Oy, Jaeger.” The blunt monotone caused his head to jerk up. Eren had been staring at his feet, lost in thought, while Levi and Hanji had waited for him to show signs of competency.

  
“Sorry!” He sprang up and rubbed the back of his head. “I spaced out for a second.” He took a gulp of water and joined Levi on the mat. Eren didn’t know why he was always so nervous around him.  If it were anyone else, he had confidence. If someone pushed at him, he’d push back with equal force. Conflicts throughout school with people Eren hadn’t gotten along with proved that. More than once he’d been sent home early with a bloody nose and a sense of justice that only flourished under Hanji’s insistence for blow-by-literal-blow details. She really was a big kid. But even around his friends, his family, he was the guy who could take charge, smile, make everyone relax and laugh. He was confident and self-aware, at ease in his own skin. If it were anyone else, he was sure he’d be fine.

 

But it wasn’t anyone else. It was Levi.

  
Around Levi his heart beat faster and he stammered. Around Levi, his palms would sweat and he stared at random spots on the wall to avoid staring at the other man. When he was with Levi, he had nervous butterflies in his stomach and a tendency to knock things over and trip over his own feet. He hadn’t been this awkward and gangly since that growth spurt in the eighth grade, and even that hadn’t been nearly so bad.

 

He supposed it was natural, feeling this way. After all, he’d idolized Levi ever since the first time he’d seen him skate. He was simply starstruck. In the back of his mind Eren hated the way he was acting, but he just couldn’t help himself. Everything he was around everyone else, he just couldn’t be in front of Levi.

 

Luckily he was able to maintain his grace and composure in actual training. It was as if, the second the music stared, his entire world changed, narrowed, and became the song and his partner. When he got into this mode, it wouldn’t matter if a three-legged goat was his partner, he’d still perform with his entire heart, body, and soul.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
It was this that Levi admired most about Eren as a skater. He could go from stuttering, stumbling, fumbling teenager to graceful, intense, dedicated athlete, artist, performer. The change was so extreme, at least from Levi’s perception. For Hanji, who knew Eren as he normally was, the change wasn’t as pronounced.

  
She who knew Eren as he normally was couldn’t help but notice the way he stuttered around Levi. The way he watched him with wide, admiring eyes.

 

There was no way she hadn’t done this on purpose, and Levi could prove it. He could practically feel the looks Eren gave him, and each time Hanji’s lips would twist upwards for a millisecond. At first, he thought he was imagining it.

  
Soon after he decided he wasn’t, and cornered her once after Eren had already left for home.

  
“Just what are you trying to pull, shitty glasses?” He glared at her, and her answering smirk confirmed his suspicions.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Levi. I’ve been completely honest with you about my intentions.” Her voice was sing-song bullshit, Levi thought to himself.

 

“That kid worships me.” His own voice was flat.

  
“Many people idolize you in the skating world.” A neutral response.

 

“Many people aren’t Eren Jaeger.” A hint of frustration.

 

“I don’t know what you mean.”

 

“Bullshit. That’s why I’m here, remember? That’s how you got me roped into this shit routine.”

 

“I think it’s a lovely routine. Very passionate, fast, eye-pleasing. A crowd favorite, if I’m any judge.” She was practically humming, and Levi wanted to strangle her with her ponytail.

 

“Hanji.” A warning.

 

One look at his eyes and Hanji sighed theatrically. “Don’t pout so much, you’ll give yourself even more wrinkles. I swear I did not have ulterior motives beyond what I’ve already expressed to having you and Eren do this routine together. You both were the best fit for this purpose. I didn’t do this because of what you told me.” The last words were treated with proper caution, and Levi felt himself relax just slightly.

 

* * *

 

What she told him?

  
Eren hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, really, he hadn’t. He’d just realized he’d forgotten to grab his sweatshirt, and when he came back he could hear the voices echoing down the hall, and before he knew it he was flat on the wall beside the door, hanging on to every word and wondering how best to make his presence known. He didn’t want them to think he was listening, even though he had been, because it hadn’t been his intention and things like this were only supposed to happen in cheesy movies and bad fanfiction.

 

“I should have never gone with you.” Levi’s voice.

  
“You were going to be there anyway, it’s not like it’s my fault you got so drunk.”

 

“I should have stayed in the room.”

  
“You had to stop by. He was your coach, after all, it would have been rude to blow off his retirement party.”

 

Eren’s eyes widened. _They must be talking about Coach Pixis. He retired last year, and Levi was one of his greatest students._ He himself had been invited, but he’d had school and the party was being held in… Fresno? Reno? No. It had been somewhere famous, somewhere kids weren’t allowed… Vegas! Right, there had been a whole party in Vegas for him put on by his senior students and fellow coaches in his program.

 

“….besides,” Eren zoned back in on Hanji’s words and hoped he hadn’t missed something important. “It’s not like anyone forced the drinks down your throat. I didn’t drink at all.”

 

“….you know why I was drinking.” His voice was quiet, Eren had to strain to make it out. “You know everything.”

  
Silence fell, heavy and deafening. Eren was certain he’d be discovered, the thundering of his heart loud in his own ears. After an eternity (a check of his watch corrected this to four minutes), Hanji spoke again.

 

“I’m sorry, Levi.” Eren heard clothing rustle, a pause, and Hanji continuing in a normal voice. “Point is, I’m not hiding anything, and your paranoia is only getting in the way of training.”

  
“I’m not paranoid.” Eren let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding- Levi’s voice was back to its typical, slightly annoyed self.

 

“Then come on, let’s get out of here. I’m exhauuuuusted!” The last word was punctuated by a yawn and the sound of bags being gathered. With a jolt, Eren realized he was still behind the door. He snuck back down the hallway, threw open the doors, and as loudly as possible ran back to the studio, bursting in without pause.

 

Both Hanji and Levi looked up at him. Hanji quirked an eyebrow, and Levi tilted his head ever so slightly to the left.

  
“Jacket!” He managed, going over to the bench and grabbing a black hoodie. He departed before the other two had a chance to say anything.

* * *

 

“That was weird.” Hanji commented, staring at the door Eren had so recently burst through. “He seems distracted.”

 

Levi shrugged, packing his things back in his bag.

 

Hanji looked over at the bench Eren had recently left, and her eyes narrowed. She walked over and picked up a black sweatshirt from the floor. “Levi, what size do you wear?”

 

“Shitty glasses. What do you think?” Levi grumbled, checking to make sure his skates were properly stored.

 

“So a small?”

 

Something in her tone made him pause. “…..why do you ask?” No sooner had the question left his lips than something heavy and black flopped onto his face. He pulled the offending article off and stared at it.

 

“….that shitty brat took my jacket.”

 

 

Eren finally got home, slamming the door behind him with a sigh and a groan, stretching. He showered and went to pull on his sweatshirt.   
  
It was then he realized that the jacket he grabbed had a zipper and was smaller than he remembered. He flashed back to the bench, and his mind’s inner powerpoint enlarged the image and circled the black lump on the floor.

 

His eyes slowly widened, his mouth falling open in horror. “OH SHIT!”

 

Eren’s second thought was that the jacket smelled nice.

 

* * *

 

 

Levi took the too-large sweatshirt home with him as hostage. Or for ransom. Or something. He told himself it was too cold for him to go without a jacket, and that it was really Eren’s fault (it actually was) for taking his jacket in the first place without checking. It didn’t mean anything, it was just a mistake.

 

That thought didn’t prevent him from trying it on.

 

It didn’t prevent him from placing it on his nightstand.

  
And when he woke up at 2 in the morning from some dream about dancing giants, it didn’t prevent him from grabbing the sweatshirt and pulling it on, burrowing deeply into the soft fabric that smelled faintly of sweat but mostly of laundry detergent and something pleasant.

 

He closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling, and soon he had fallen asleep again.

 

This time, he dreamt of ocean water, rolling hills, and bright green eyes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I appreciate the support.
> 
> So I sort of wrote part of the next chapter (where you'll find out what happened in Vegas) before I managed to write this. I'm trying to keep it about 50/50 on the perspectives. Eren really does act differently around Levi. 
> 
> Anyway, comments are always appreciated!
> 
> (as always, un-betad, let me know if you see mistakes)


	5. What Happens In Vegas.... (gets you blackmailed)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One drunk night in Vegas
> 
> One sober night in Eren's bedroom

“You know-“ Levi paused, warning bells going off in the depths of his brain. However, the light, fuzzy tingle of his conscious told him to keep going, and that this was a reasonable thing to say. After all, he wasn’t drunk. He didn’t feel drunk. So of course he couldn’t be.  “You really fucked up, Hanj.”

 

“Eh?” Hanji hadn’t touched a drink all night, something that later Levi would be very suspicious of.

 

“Taking in those kids, lying about your age…” He gestured with his hand.

 

“Oh! That’s right!” She smiled. “You know Eren, right?”

 

“I met him a while ago.” He nodded, throat suddenly dry, and downed a glass of water.

  
“Levi? You ok?” Hanji stared at her friend as he coughed and choked, having unintentionally grabbed something strongly alcoholic. Before long she was howling with laughter, having realized his mistake, and Levi was glaring at her while simultaneously trying to scrape the remnants of the bitter concoction off his tongue.

 

“I’m not….okay.” He managed to scowl, drinking some actual water to wash away some of the acidity burning his mouth. “And it’s your damn fault, you glasses….shit…” Something about that was wrong, but he didn’t feel like trying to correct himself. He never claimed to be damn eloquent or any shit like that…..fuck he was dizzy.

 

Hanji’s eyes flashed and her lips curled up into a dangerous smile. “Finally.” She muttered to herself. “For such a small man, you can really hold your liquor, Heichou.”

 

“You…got me drunk…” He pointed an accusatory finger at the wavering Hanji in his vision.

 

“I did nothing. I just noticed you were going to drink yourself stupid and decided to stick around sober to watch.” She said smoothly, taking a sip from her glass of actual water. “Now. Talk to me.”

 

“You know…what I hate…more than you?” He mumbled, closing his eyes. The dizzy feeling didn’t go away, but at least he no longer had to watch the room spin back and forth.

 

“What?” Hanji asked, amused.

 

“Shitty brats on ice skates.” He leaned his head back. “With their stupid….wide eyes….and their shitty… skate moves….and their fuzzy looking hair… and their shitty soft lips…”

 

Hanji’s mouth had fallen open and she was staring at Levi in a mix of fascination, horror, and utter, unadulterated joy. She looked just like a little kid on Christmas morning in a candy wonderland with an unlimited supply of video games and toys. “Are you talking about Eren?” She couldn’t help herself as she pressed ‘record’ on her phone.

 

Levi shook his head, then groaned, clutching at it. “Stupid glasses!” He moaned. “The world’s spinning! And it has nothing to do with f..fucking Eren Yae-gar.” Hanji took advantage of his vulnerability and he knew it and it pissed him off he’d let his guard down enough for her to do so. “He’s a brat…. But on skates… god!” Levi hung his head between his legs in an effort to stop the spinning. “He’s so… perfect… and it pisses me off… he pisses me off… with his stutter and his… ugh... his fucking tan…. Andthose shitty green eyes. When he’s…looking at me I can….feel it…those stupid green eyes are so fucking perfect.” He stilled, and opened his eyes, staring down at his hands.

 

“His green eyes are so perfect.” He repeated to himself, his voice breaking. “I love him.” With that, Levi passed out cold.

 

Hanji stared at him for a long time. Levi was one of her oldest and closest friends. Granted, Eren was her surrogate son.

 

This would definitely be interesting.

  __

* * *

 

 

“Hand UP, Eren! Like you would if he was a girl!” Hanji called from her position on the sidelines. They’d made it from studio to actual ice, and so far Levi hadn’t broken anything yet, so he considered it fairly successful. But this one transition- Levi and Eren would skating in opposite directions, and the moment Levi began to pass him Eren would capture his waist with one arm, flip him over it, and raise him into the air by his thighs. That part was easy.

 

The part Eren had trouble with was right after- where he would slide one hand up Levi’s thigh to the space where his leg connected to his body- right next to his groin. Eren would then let go and gesture out to the audience with his other hand.

 

“Sorry, Hanji! I’ll do it right!” He called, and they did the move again. This time, Eren forced himself into his skate zone and pulled it off without a hitch. They were in the middle of the summer season,

 

Ever since the night he’d accidentally taken home Levi’s jacket, things had been getting….weird. For Eren.

 

Especially at night. When he was sleeping. And he’d have these dreams. About Levi. And himself. Together. In the rink. In the studio. Doing things.

  
And they most definitely weren’t skating.

 

Every time they were near each other now, Eren would feel his ears turn red and it took all of his self control not to blush or stutter obviously (it was still noticeable). He’d find his mind wandering when they weren’t skating- watching Levi casually (not casually), studying his form- his lean build, the curve of his spine, the taunt muscles of his legs and arms. Even the dark circles under his eyes and the pale quality to his skin. Eren wondered if he slept at night, and why he always looked like he wanted to kill someone.

 

But nothing compared to the way he looked when he skated.

 

Even Eren, king of the ‘zone’, would be transfixed by Levi’s spell. He moved with a grace and ease Eren had never seen before, as if he were born on the ice or moving through air. His permanent scowl lifted, leaving his face smooth and calm. It took years off of his face, he looked so young, so fresh, so blissfully happy to be out there, skating, his arms wide and a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

  
At least, until Eren realized he’d been supposed to be moving for the past thirty seconds and hastily rushed into the routine before Levi flipped backwards over nothing.

  
After practices Eren always felt…weird. Lighthearted. Giddy, even. Full of energy, a nervous, boundless energy. Often, he found himself running home in the late summer evening, basking in the glow of the last rays of daylight.

 

He’d find himself whistling at home when he was washing the dishes or showering, and he thought of Levi nearly twenty-four seven. The thought of the older man no longer made him feel star-struck, but excited and nervous at the same time.

 

When he saw him for the first time each day, his heart would race a little faster and he’d feel nauseated. There was no denying it.

  
Eren Jaeger had a serious problem and he seriously needed to talk to someone about it.

 

He mentally ran through all of the people he could ask. Mikasa? No. She’d kill Levi.. Armin? He might think it was weird. Hanji? She’d helped him out plenty in the past and practically raised him, so it made since to go to her. The again, she might just do weird things with wires and his heart and he didn’t need to go through that again.

 

Armin it was.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, Armin? Do you have a sec?” Mikasa wasn’t home yet, and Eren realized that this was his chance.

 

Armin glanced up from the sofa. He’d been reading a magazine, which in itself was unusual. Armin almost always preferred books to anything else print. “Yeah?”

  
“How have you been?” Eren hedged. They hadn’t had a chance to talk much recently.

 

Armin blinked, then smiled. “I’m good! I’ve just been working a lot lately. Since it’s summer, Erwin’s been letting me watch the shop more often after training.”

 

“That’s good. I, uh, need to talk to you about something.”

 

“What do you want to talk about?” Armin twirled a lock of his hair with his finger, setting the magazine down on the coffee table.

 

“I think I’m sick.” He confessed, looking away from Armin’s blue eyes, wide with concern.

 

“Why? What’s wrong?” Armin asked immediately.

 

“I’ve been feeling really weird lately, like someone stuck a rock in my chest…I’ve been having weird dreams and every time I go to practice I get so nervous I feel like I’m going to throw up. My heart keeps beating really fast and I don’t know how to make it stop…but after I feel so good, so energetic, and I’ve been running back from the rink nearly every day because I just feel so damn good. I don’t know what’s wrong with me!”

 

Armin stared at him and, almost instantly regretting it, asked, “What kinds of dreams?”

  
“Really weird ones.” Eren muttered, his face getting hot.

 

“…are they about something or someone in particular? Are they the dreams about the giants?”

 

“No, not those dreams.” He said quickly. “They’re….you know….weird dreams...” He flushed darker.

 

“Eren, you’re going to have to be more specific.”

 

“Just, never mind! I’m going to shower!” Eren spun on his heel and practically ran for the bathroom, ignoring Armin’s calls.

 

“Eren? Eren!”

 

* * *

 

 

Eren didn’t eat dinner that night, he just went straight to his room and flopped on his bed, his face landing in the puddle that was Levi’s jacket. Somehow they’d just never swapped back. He closed his eyes, until he heard a knock on the door.

 

“I’m not hungry, Armin.” He said, loud enough for Armin to hear. A second later, the door opened. “I said I wasn’t hungry.” He repeated, annoyed. “I don’t want to talk, Armin!”

 

“Tch.” He froze. “Shitty brat.”

 

“L-levi?” He stood up so fast his vision went black and he stumbled back against the bed again, sitting down hard. “What are you doing here?!”

 

“You left this at the rink.” He tossed Eren’s bag (with his skates) onto the floor. “Pretty damn irresponsible.”

 

“Sorry…thank you! I’m sorry you had to come all this way.” He felt his face burn, and he willed himself not to cry. It was embarrassing enough he kept having weird dreams involving Levi, and that he couldn’t be professional in the rink, but to have forgotten his skates? Levi must think he was an idiot.

 

“It’s not a problem.” Levi leaned against the door frame. “Are you going to ask me in?” He asked after a few seconds.

 

“Oh! Right, sorry, come in…” Eren stood up, unsure of what was going on.

 

Levi looked around his room. Eren kept it (fairly) neat, a few clothes on the floor hadn’t quite made it into the hamper, but mostly clean. He had posters of skaters on his wall, including one of Levi (which made him want to die right about now) and trophies and awards lined the top of his dresser. His comforter was blue, and Levi sat down on it, staring at the poster of himself.

 

Eren felt himself blush dark red. This was embarrassing.

 

“Why do you have that?” For once, Levi didn’t sound annoyed or sarcastic…but curious.

  
Eren blinked. “I, uh, really admire your skating. When I was younger, um, it kind of inspired me to try. You just look so graceful.”

 

“Hm.” Noncommittal. Levi looked up at him. “Are you just going to stand there?”

 

“Sorry!” Eren sat on the bed beside him, feeling awkward. His heart was racing and he wanted to be sick. He wished he knew what this feeling was, and he was afraid that he already did.

  
“Eren.”

 

It was the first time Levi had ever used his name. “Yeah?” He turned his head, and found Levi’s face incredibly close to his. He blushed even harder, if it was possible, and broke out into a cold sweat.

  
“Hm. I could get used to that.” Levi murmured, as if to himself, before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Eren’s, soft and firm.

 

Eren froze for several seconds, and Levi pulled away. Eren stared at him. Levi met his gaze, cool and unperturbed. Eren leaned back in and slammed his mouth onto Levi’s in a mess that was all teeth and tongue, and Levi was pushing back, demanding access, just as forceful and dominate.

 

Eren’s hand went to cup his face and Levi’s wound in his hair, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. Eren’s other hand ran up his chest, yanking at his shirt until Levi broke away and threw it across the room. Eren stared at his chest for a moment before Levi pushed him onto his back, stripping off Eren’s shirt before claiming his mouth once more.

 

Eren’s hands roamed over Levi’s exposed skin, smooth under his fingers, and he moaned as Levi rolled his hips forward and down against his own, pushing his hips up to get more friction, he felt himself getting aroused by the man on top of him-

 

And Eren woke up in his bed, heart pounding and half-hard. He sat up immediately, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself.

  
He stumbled out of his room and nearly crashed into Armin’s, fumbling for the door. It was late, he knew it, it was dark and the apartment was silent.

 

Armin blinked his eyes open when he heard the door, and as he focused on Eren his eyes widened. Eren was shaking, and it looked like he was on the verge of tears.

  
“Eren!”

 

“Shh!” Eren did NOT want Mikasa waking up, and Armin pressed his lips tightly together and pulled Eren down onto the bed to sit next to him. Eren turned and buried his face into Armin’s neck, letting the tears fall as he silently cried.

 

“It’s okay.” Armin whispered, stroking his hair. “What happened, Eren? Did you dream about the giants again?” This had happened before, but Eren shook his head violently.

 

“No.” His voice was raw. “L…levi.”

 

At once Armin understood. “….oh. Eren…”

  
“I think…” He whispered, his voice cracking. “I think there’s something wrong with me.”

 

“No, there’s nothing wrong with you.” Armin said soothingly. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

 

“I think about him all the time, Armin! All the damn time!” His body was shaking and it just wouldn’t stop. “I get nervous when I touch him and when I look at him I feel like my heart’s on fire and- god!” He broke off in a near-sob.

 

“Eren…that doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you…that just means you’re-“

 

“I don’t want this.” He said quietly.

 

“Eren-“

 

“Armin…can I sleep here tonight?”

 

Armin looked down at his friend, exhausted and worn. He nodded. “Of course. You know, it doesn’t matter to me if you like Levi.”

  
“What?’

  
“I don’t care. You’re still Eren, and that’s not going to change.” Armin smiled. “So what are you so worried for? You’re Eren Jaeger.”

  
Eren blinked, nuzzling down into Armin’s warm bed. “You know…” He yawned, “You’re right. I am Eren Jaeger….and it’s okay if I love Levi.” He didn’t notice Armin’s sharp intake of breath, or anything after that. He just drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I messed up my time line. This all started in May and the jacket thing happened in like September and now it's like October. 
> 
> Just go with me, mkay? 
> 
> Anyway, we've got the dramatic realizations out of the way! LEVI SAID HE LOVED EREN AND EREN THINKS HE'S DISEASED OR SOMETHING WHAAAAT
> 
> no one saw that coming (not a million miles away or anything)
> 
> Sorry this took so long, some family stuff came up and I didn't have much time to write. But the next chapter will skim through Holidays and end with the selection of Olympic candidates for the nation's team.
> 
> Should be out by mid-next week if not sooner. 
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING PLEASE give me kudos if you liked it and comment with your thoughts :) It really does make my life if you comment. 
> 
> (If you're interested in reading what's going on with Armin, check out the 3rd series in this work for his own Olympic story :D) 
> 
> Shameless plug! woo. 
> 
> Another note: So Levi’s drunk is based off of the first experience I had with alcohol. I’m a lightweight, but I was sure I wasn’t drunk because I didn’t feel any different and I was still capable of rational thought. Or so it felt. It was several days later my sister told me that I’d been pretty tipsy and said a ton of stuff that I honestly don’t remember saying. All I could think at the time was “I don’t feel different, I’m not thinking differently from normal, I’m not drunk.”
> 
> So there’s drunk Levi for ya. Not drunk enough to be aware of being drunk but just drunk enough to say a littttle too much.


	6. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi falls, Eren feels guilty.

Levi closed his eyes and let the shower water soothe his aching hip. He’d fallen for the first today, and he’d gone down hard.

 

It was one of the final throws- a quadruple salchow. He’d done them before and in individual skating, jumps had been one of Levi’s specialties. But the few throws they’d tried so far had been relatively tame, once he’d gotten used to the added momentum Eren provided and the feeling of rough, warm hands gripping his sides, strong and yielding.

  
Ice didn’t yield.

 

Eren went in for the launch and instantly Levi knew something was off. It may have been his footing, or their timing, or maybe Eren put too much or too little into the throw. As he tucked his arms into his body, spinning rapidly in the air, he closed his eyes tight and waited for impact.

 

The outside edge of his skate caught the ice and he was going down, landing hard on his right hip and outer thigh, catching his upper body with his hands- the pain was momentarily blinding and he ground his teeth together to prevent a scream, or a curse, or a sob, he didn’t trust his voice. He let out a deep, shaking breath and opened his eyes to a frantic Eren, right in front of him. Damn, he was going to have to hold it together while every muscle in his leg was screaming at him to cry or throw up or pass out or something to displace the pain.

 

“LEVI!”

 

He clenched his teeth harder, willing himself not to make a sound. The look on his face must have been bad enough, because Eren’s eyes widened in concern and he whipped his head back around to call for Hanji.

 

“Is it bad?” Their coach slid over on tennis shoes, blinking in worry. Levi glared up at her, relieved to have someone to glare at. The pain was fading away to a deep, throbbing ache that he could deal with, at least.

 

“I’m fine, you piece of shit.” He growled out, sitting up and bending his leg gingerly. Pain shot through the limb, but he was positive it didn’t feel like a break.

 

“Nothing’s broken.” He grunted, twisting his ankle around. It seemed to be fine, thank god, the brunt of the impact had gone straight to his thigh. “Just bruised.” A deep bruise, he thought to himself, possibly a bone bruise. Didn’t matter. The only thing he wanted was to sit down with some warm water or more directly applicable ice.

 

He braced himself on his palms- they stung a little bit- and moved his good leg under him, preparing to stand up.

 

Hanji, unfortunately, saw this and rolled her eyes. “Eren! Make sure he doesn’t fall over. The man’s so stubborn he’d walk on two broken legs if you let him.”  


“I told you, nothing’s broken.” Levi snarled, whipping his head to glare at Hanji once more. She shrugged.

  
“I don’t care. I don’t want to risk your leg giving out. Eren, help him.”

  
Levi bit back another curse and directed his glare at Eren’s worried, nervous face. The poor kid looked like he expected Levi to bite his head off. Levi let out a sigh and forced his face to relax as Eren knelt down and swung his arm over his shoulders. Levi did the same, and the two stood up slowly, both trying to ignore the proximity of the other and the increasingly rapid heartbeats in their chests.

 

_His body is warm._ Levi noted, blaming the pain for his weird-ass thoughts. _And he smells like sweat._ “You smell like shit.” He muttered as Eren mostly pulled him off the ice. Eren winced.

  
“Sorry, we’ve been going for a while…” He mumbled his apology, staring down at the gate. Levi followed his gaze and bit his lip. There was a small step up to get out of the rink, and he wasn’t sure how he was going to manage. Before he could tell Eren to fuck off, he’d got it, Eren had popped on one skate boot and picked him up, setting him down on a bench and kneeling to untie his skates.

 

This time Levi just stared at him, speechless and unable to comprehend what just happened. He brought his good leg up and untied his left skate before staring at his right. Bending his leg hurt. He wasn’t going to try standing with a skate still on, and he had to get it off somehow.

 

“I’ve got it, Levi.” Eren’s voice.

 

“Huh?”

  
“I’ll get your skate off. It’s not going to be easy to bend your leg. I think Hanji went to find you an ice pack.” Eren had taken his own skates off an was kneeling in front of Levi, and his head was by his knee and he wished it was further in and-

 

_Fuck stop thinking like this._

 

Eren’s deft fingers quickly unraveled the knots of the ties.

 

_His fingers are skilled. Wonder what they’d feel like on my di-_

“Here!” Hanji plopped a freezing cold bag of ice right in his lap, and any thoughts Levi had been entertaining went right out the window.

 

“Shit.” He hissed through clenched teeth as he removed the bag from his groin and placed it on his thigh.

  
“Sorry!” She said brightly, and Levi doubted that she was actually sorry at all. Meanwhile, the object of Levi’s short-lived fantasy had gotten his foot out of the skate and placed it in Levi’s bag carefully.

 

Twenty minutes later and he was ready to be home so he could soak in a hot bath and not have Eren or Hanji hovering over him every five seconds. He moved to stand, putting his weight on his good leg.

 

“Levi, are you sure you should be doing that?” Hanji quirked her eyebrow up.

 

“Shut up. I keep telling you I’m fine.” He kept his face blank and slowly shifted to his bad side.

 

_Fuck shit fuck shit fuuuuuckkkkkk_

 

He hissed. But hey, he could stand. That was progress. Sure, it was accompanied by shooting pain- but he could manage it. Right. Now to walk.

 

He put his injured leg out in front of him taking a step.

 

“Get ready to catch him.” Hanji muttered to Eren. Levi, of course, ignored this and shifted his weight forward.

 

His leg almost immediately gave out under him, and it was only Eren’s quick reflexes that kept him from hitting the floor- instead, he stumbled and crashed into Eren’s side, his arm wrapped around him in a vice grip that sent private shivers down his spine.

 

“Fuck.” He muttered.

 

An hour later he could limp a little, and he figured he’d find some way to survive the weekend by himself.

 

Until Hanji opened her big ass mouth.

 

“I don’t trust you on your own!” She announced as he was preparing to leave.

 

And that is how Levi ended up with Eren on his couch and the most uncomfortable weekend of his life.

 

He sighed into the shower and turned it off, staring at the purple-black bruise forming on his thigh. It was ugly. He managed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before using the wall to help limp out into the living room, where Eren was watching something on his tv.

 

“Bathroom’s free.” Levi grunted, easing himself down onto the couch and throwing his leg up onto the ottoman. Eren visibly jumped, and it was the cutest thing Levi had seen since Hanji showed him a tiny, black kitten with huge green eyes (her name was Lola and she was currently curled up on the cushion beside him).

 

“Okay , thank you!” He jumped up and headed back down the hall.

  
“Extra towels are in the closet across the hall from the bathroom.” Levi called as an afterthought.

 

“Thanks!” Came the reply, and the sound of a door opening, and closing, and opening, and closing. Silence. Then he heard the water start, and he allowed himself to groan, flinging his head back and gingerly touching his leg. It hurt like a bitch and he had to deal with Eren now, and Eren couldn’t be allowed to see his pain. That wasn’t going to happen.  He knew it was masochistic and stupid as hell, but he didn’t want the younger man to view any part of him as weak, or old, or useless.

 

Shaking his head, he picked up his book and stared at the words on the pages.

 

* * *

 

Eren, on the other hand, was faring little better.  He felt incredibly guilty that he’d caused Levi’s pain- he’d put too much force into the throw, the angle was all wrong, and the second he let go he nearly lost his own balance. Watching anyone crash onto the ice is hard enough, but Levi…

 

It had been painful to watch. He was grateful that Hanji ordered Levi to accept his help….but at the same time it was going to be an uncomfortable weekend pretending his feelings were no more than admiration for his skating skill when they’d done nothing but spiral out of control since the dream he’d had nearly two months prior.

 

But the water felt good, cool on his burning, sweating skin. He’d been terrified of getting sweat on Levi’s couch, so he’d sat as straight and still as possible. Eren always sweated during training, and the effort of helping Levi to his 3rd floor, no elevator apartment hadn’t helped him cool down.

  
Yes, the water felt nice. He was pretty nervous about spending the entire weekend here- what would he do, what would they say? Would Levi just ignore his presence the entire time? It seemed likely- although Eren thought that Levi had softened up around him since the first time they met- they could hold a conversation, and Eren hardly stuttered anymore. It was hard to be star-struck around someone you held above your head on a daily basis. It was also hard to be shy- Eren’s hands had mapped Levi’s body in fairly intimate ways- a subject he tried hard not to think about too much, not now, not in Levi’s shower.

 

Eren tilted his head back, bit his lip, and turned the water colder still.

 

It was going to be a looooong weekend. 

 

* * *

 

 

“Ah, Levi, what would you like to do for dinner?” A fully-dressed and clean Eren joined Levi on the couch.

  
The older man shrugged. “I won’t be able to cook anything. Take-out menus are in the top drawer.”

 

“Actually, I can cook quite well, if you wouldn’t mind me using your kitchen.” He didn’t know what made him say it. Maybe he was just a weirdo looking to learn things about Levi from the contents of his refrigerator. Or whatever.

 

Levi looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Feel free to look around, then. Just make sure to clean up after yourself.” 

“Don’t worry! I have two pretty clean roommates, I won’t mess anything up.” Eren called back cheerfully as he headed to the kitchen to ~~explore the depths of Levi’s psyche by examining his food stock~~ see what he had to work with. “How do you feel about a chicken-vegetable stir fry?”

 

The kitchen was separated from the living room by a step and half a wall. Levi glanced over and shrugged. “Sounds fine.” _Eren is cooking for me. Eren is making me a meal. Eren and I are sharing a meal. This sounds like a shitty-ass manga that shitty Hanji would read._

 

However, roughly half an hour later Levi had to grudgingly admit that Eren’s cooking was pretty good. “Eren.”

  
“Yeah?”

  
“It’s pretty good.”

 

Eren allowed himself to beam. “Thanks! My friend Armin taught me how to cook. My roommates and I rotate on who does what in the apartment.”

 

Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Conversation. “I thought young-ass brats like you lived off of instant ramen and pizza.”

 

“Nah. The three of us are all pretty serious athletes, so we have to find a way to eat healthy. It’s not easy. I was actually surprised at all of the food in your fridge. I didn’t know what some of the plants were.”

 

He allowed himself a small smile. “I’ve got a few years on you, brat. I know a few things you don’t.”

 

Eren laughed, then looked up at Levi, his green eyes sparking. “Hey, Levi?”

  
“Hm?”

 

“Why do you always call me a brat?”

 

He nearly choked on a carrot.

 

“I’m not that much younger than you, and I really don’t think I act that much like a brat.”

 

“Shitty brat.” Levi rolled his eyes, once he’d managed to divert the carrot situation. “You’re a shitty brat because you’re a shitty brat.”

 

“That’s not a reason!” Eren protested.

 

“Doesn’t have to be. I owe you nothing.”

 

“Ugh! And is that why you call Hanji shitty glasses?”

 

“I’ve known Hanji for a long-ass time.” Levi took a drink. “I can call her whatever the hell I want to.”

 

“At least that makes sense.” Eren muttered mutinously, taking the empty plates and heading back to the kitchen to clean.

  
Levi himself yawned and stared at the ceiling. He was not going to last the weekend. Hell. He might not even last the night.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later, everything went to hell.

 

It started when he went to stand up to move back to the bedroom. He’d been walking okay earlier, and he hardly noticed the throbbing in his leg anymore. Of course, the second he put weight on it, it completely gave out from under him and he crumpled to the floor.

 

“Levi?!” Eren jumped up from the couch and crouched beside him.

 

“Shit.” He muttered, gripping the side of the couch. That had hurt. A lot.

  
“Are you oka-“

  
“Shut up.” His voice was harsh, and he ground his teeth together in an effort not to make a sound.

 

Eren stared at him for a second, chewing on his lip. Then one arm was around Levi’s back, the other under his knees, and Eren was carrying him bridal-style down the hallway.

 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Levi snarled, glaring up at Eren (who had the audacity to glare back).

 

“Stop pretending your leg doesn’t fucking hurt and that you can do everything by yourself!” He snapped back, and Levi, for once was speechless.  “I get it, you’re independent and tough and shit but you know what? You got hurt and it’s my fault, so you’re going to have to get over yourself and deal with me helping you out, okay?!”

  

There was one moment of stunned silence before Levi grabbed the back of his head and yanked his face down into a hard, fast kiss. It wasn’t his best, and he hoped it wasn’t Eren’s, but it was enough. He let go and looked up at Eren, breathing just a little harder than normal. Eren’s green eyes were wide, and Levi could see each emotion cross his face- confusion, awe, fear, elation, and bemusement.

 

“What….was that for…” He asked, his voice a little higher than it normally was.

 

“I like you, you shithead. Now kiss me.”

 

It wasn’t the most romantic confession in the world, but that didn’t matter. In this room, at this time, the only thing that mattered to Levi were the pair of bright green eyes staring at him, and the lips that once more pressed tightly to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter almost contained the line “Bitch I didn’t ask for your life story.” 
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Kudos and comments appreciated!
> 
> After this it's going to focus more on skating and competition.


End file.
